We just bought the Breville Dual Boiler and have a vario-w grinder (set to 2L grind), but during extraction we are only getting 6-7 bars of pressure using the manual setting with about 10 seconds pre-infusion. We are definitely not pros and I have searched everywhere and have only really seen issues with machines coming from the factory calibrated too high (which seems to be fixed now). Any thoughts?Using the dual wall filter basket, 18g of fresh beans, tamp pressure 30-40lbs.Am i totally missing something?

I don't think you want to use the dual wall filters...those are for when you use a pre-ground coffee or if you don't have a capable espresso grinder. Use the single wall double-basket and I bet you'll get much better results.

We just bought the Breville Dual Boiler and have a vario-w grinder (set to 2L grind), but during extraction we are only getting 6-7 bars of pressure using the manual setting with about 10 seconds pre-infusion. We are definitely not pros and I have searched everywhere and have only really seen issues with machines coming from the factory calibrated too high (which seems to be fixed now). Any thoughts?Using the dual wall filter basket, 18g of fresh beans, tamp pressure 30-40lbs.Am i totally missing something?

The answer is likely very simple - and it is very unlikely to be your machine. You are not grinding your coffee fine enough. Here is my advice:

BEANS. Stay away from grocery store or Starbucks' beans. For real results, you will need beans that are maximum 2-3 weeks from their roast date, preferably from one of the favorite sources on this board. Independent coffee shops in your area might stock good beans or roast them.

Use the single wall double shot filter. Make sure your machine has been warming up for at least 30 minutes and the portafilter is in the grouphead until you are ready to pull your shot.

Start with a grind setting on the fine side - a few clicks finer than you are currently using. Grind into your portafilter until the grinds are at the lip of the basket. Use a needle to "mix" the grinds until they are even and clumps are gone. Tamp straight down (no twisting, etc) firmly but evenly (doesn't have to be 30lbs). Remove the tamper straight out. Treat the portafilter with care at this point - no tapping, etc.

Before you put the portafilter in the group head, press and hold the double shot button for 5 seconds. This will clean the grinds from the screen and may help temperature consistency.

5.Put the portafilter in the group head and press the double shot button once. You may want to play with this later but at this point, you want consistency. Watch the pressure gauge, once the shot starts (after pre-infusion) it should shoot up to 9-10 bar and stay there for the duration of the shot. If it doesn't get that high, repeat with a slightly finer grind. If it pegs at 9-10 bar and no espresso comes out for a few seconds, you need a coarser grind.

You want to aim for a shot that pegs 9-10 bar but flows evenly. Once you have this, you can play with pre-infusion and shot timing. Obviously taste is the most important goal!

If your double wall basket has one hole on the bottom its a pressurized basket and that is definitely your problem. You cant use tamped fresh properly ground coffee in that ,it will choke every time.Your on the right trackI would see if it came with a double size single wall filter ( the kind you can hold up to the light and see through all those many holes) and load it with fresh properly ground coffee and go again. Keep tamping and adjusting grinder until a pull for a double wall basket is around 30 seconds.

I'm curious about this one. I have made shots with a totally warm machine, and a machine just warmed up. I do run some water through it if it is just warmed up. I can't tell any difference at all. The BDB does have a group head warmer, which I'm sure does help.

By the way, the BDB shuts off automatically after an hour, so an hour is the longest you can warm it up.

I'm curious about this one. I have made shots with a totally warm machine, and a machine just warmed up. I do run some water through it if it is just warmed up. I can't tell any difference at all. The BDB does have a group head warmer, which I'm sure does help.

By the way, the BDB shuts off automatically after an hour, so an hour is the longest you can warm it up.

One could argue that the portafilter (being solid metal) may take a little longer to stabilize at temp. Phil recommends running water through it if you don't want to wait 30mins. Most of us would probably have a hard time tasting a difference either way - but it certainly can't hurt to wait 30mins if you want max consistency.

We just bought the Breville Dual Boiler and have a vario-w grinder (set to 2L grind), but during extraction we are only getting 6-7 bars of pressure using the manual setting with about 10 seconds pre-infusion. We are definitely not pros and I have searched everywhere and have only really seen issues with machines coming from the factory calibrated too high (which seems to be fixed now). Any thoughts?Using the dual wall filter basket, 18g of fresh beans, tamp pressure 30-40lbs.Am i totally missing something?

I bought a BDB and had the same problem. I messed around with grind, tamp pressure, dose and God knows for about a month. My pressure maxed at about 7.5 bars, and grinding finer on my Vario eventually just choked the machine. My shots were all sour tasting too. Always.

Breville offered to exchange the machine. I suspect that this was one of the earlier machines that was shipped with a too tight OPV, and then recalibrated, but they overdid it on the down side.

I sucked it up and adjusted the OPV myself, using the advice in the youtube video. Being a klutz, it took me longer than 15 mins. DO NOT drop the nylon locking sleeve into the guts. Particularly do not drop it in a second time or your expletives will blister paint, necessitating repaint kitchen walls and therapy for any kids nearby.

Anyway, I got it adjusted. Now sweet 9 bars, 199 degrees, 4 second preinfusion, heavy tamp, coarser grind, 18.8 g dose, resulting in a 26-27 second 45ml shot of absolute loveliness. My heart sings with delight when tasting the chocolatey aromatic goodness, and then palpitates when I cannot resist the second shot.

Oh and BTW, I think letting the machine warm with PF in place for 20 -30 mins is a good idea. I still run a little hot water through the empty PF before fillling. I think it makes a diff.

Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post

Forum Rules:No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards.No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum.No SEO style postings will be tolerated. SEO related posts will result in immediate ban from CoffeeGeek.No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum.Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards.Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics.Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies.Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies.Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts.Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.